Sunday, May 4, 2008

Hammer Makes British Postage History

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Hammer Films' initial groundbreaking trio of horror movies, The Curse of Frankenstein, Horror of Dracula and The Mummy, the U.K.'s Royal Mail is lifting an 84-year-old ban on living non-royals appearing on British postage stamps.

Christopher Lee (who just happens to be one year older than the ban) is featured on all three Hammer stamps, which are based on the original posters for the three aforementioned films. Michael Lee of the Royal Mail told Britain's Sunday Times that the move is part of a general relaxation of the antiquated rule, which only allows living non-royals to be featured on stamps if they are part of a group (ie. the 2005 English Cricket team).

Despite being approved by Queen Elizabeth herself (just imagine those proceedings), the stamps have met with disapproval from Hammer supporters. The Times quoted fans who described them as "terrible" due to their supposedly poor reproductions of the posters. And the owner of Tomahawk Press, publisher of several books about Hammer, called them "a real embarrassment."

Well, they look fine to me. And face it, Brits--beggars can't be choosers. The Hammer Monsters are getting their props from the Queen. Be proud.

Which horror film *should* be remade?

Like The Vault on Facebook

Welcome to the Vault....

I've been fascinated with horror ever since my parents let me watch The Exorcist at 8 years old (what were they thinking??) and I ran up to my bed screaming when Linda Blair's eyes rolled into the back of her head.Although it often gets a bad rap from "mainstream" critics and audiences alike, horror has often been the most creative and vibrant movie genre of all, from Nosferatu to Saw. Some of the finest motion pictures ever made are part of the horror genre, including Frankenstein, Psycho, The Shining and my personal all-time favorite, George Romero's Dawn of the Dead.This blog is the culmination of my 25-year love affair with all things blood and guts--so check back here often for news and opinion on the world of horror. And remember...